D
Deleted member 66574
MOGGER OF BALKAN
- Joined
- Mar 16, 2024
- Posts
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- 946
Benefits
Improved facial symmetry
Improved cranial structure
Improved posture
Improved breathing and airway
Less headaches and tightness
To summarize:
Use enough force when squeezing the bulb to feel expansion throughout one side of your face and into the other side. Once you feel expansion throughout your whole face, stop inflating. If you've already inflated 5 times or more than 20 seconds and have felt no expansion, stop and move to a different nasal passage.
Device Construction Here is the equipment I use:
Sphygmomanometer bulb with release valve RiteAid finger cots (assorted sizes)
Dental floss (waxed)
Qtip with ballend removed
99% aloe vera gel (or water based lubricant. These days I use plain water as lubricant)
I got the bulb on Amazon and everything else at a Rite Aid, excluding the aloe vera gel which I found at Super Supplements.
This is what typical cranialrestructuring device equipment looks like preconstruction
Fully Constructed (dental floss wrapped 2030x around finger cot. Toothpick/Qtip with snipped ends)
Any danger of inhaling the balloon can be minimized by affixing the balloon (finger cot) very tightly with about 20 or 30 rotations of dental floss. Tugging on the cot to make sure it won't come off is important too. During treatment, I always hold my breath as it further minimizes any chance of inhaling the finger cot balloon (will get to this later).
Practitioners replace the balloons after every treatment, but I find it more convenient to replace them every 34 treatments. Doing this more than 100 times, I have only popped a balloon twice and it popped in both cases after using the same balloon for 6 or 7 treatments. It's not terribly painful or dangerous when it pops, it's just not a pleasant experience.
Locating the Sphenoid Bone
I was actually confused about how to treat myself for the first few months. Sadly, it took me a long time to realize that I was inflating the balloon between the nasal turbinates rather than the open space behind them.
Notice in the illustration above the three "holes" between the turbinates. These are the nasal passages. There are three passages in each nostril. The goal is to insert the balloon through the passage so that most of the balloon is resting just behind the turbinate and into the upper throat (near the sphenoid bone, that white bone surrounding the sphenoid sinus in the above illustration).
The best way to get the balloon through the nasal passage is to use the blunt end of a toothpick and a lubricated balloon (finger cot). To reach the top passage, insert the balloon while pushing it up against the top wall of the nose. To reach the bottom passage, insert the balloon while pushing it against the bottom wall of the nose. To get the balloon resting behind a nasal passage and into the throat, squeeze the bulb slowly, gently, and fully while pushing and making slight twists. This will ensure the balloon is straightened and in place. Once it's behind a nasal passage and in the throat you will feel it reach "open air." If the finger cot balloon is too large, it can possibly come down into the throat and gag you when inflated. If it's too small you won't be able to get it all the way through the nasal passage.
Inflating the Balloon
I've experimented with a lot of different inflation techniques. The NCR specialists use an "explosive" method, stacking 13 finger cots ontop of each other and inflating with a LOT of force (multiple pounds of pressure) for about 36 seconds in the nasal passage, then the balloon essentially explodes into the upper throat area/sphenoid. This isn't the safest or most pleasant method. Bone fracture is only truly possible through this method because the turbinates are under intense pressure
for a brief period of time. Unfortunately people are usually locked up at first and do require more pressure to successfully nudge the sphenoid (to move it less than 1mm).
This is what I do: stand up infront of a mirror, making full pumps (squeezing out all the air) in succession, 34 times, pump in rapid succession. Never pump more than 5 times in one nasal passage, especially if you get no movement/expansion/release. During inflation, always hold the breath to ensure the balloon wont be inhaled. If there's a sudden pressure differential (release of pressure in the throat) and a feeling of movement/expansion through one side of the face then the next, immediately deflate the balloon and withdraw it from the nasal passage. Usually I'll feel the expansion through one side of my face after 13 inflations, then on the 3rd4th inflation I'll feel it in the other side of my face>through to the ear. When the expansion has gone through both sides of the face, stop. Some people think they're supposed to hear a cracking sound or feel something phenomenal but this probably won't happen all at once unless a lot of force is used (not recommended). I've gotten great results being somewhat gentle and patient.
The NCR specialists use a ton of force and treat only four times a month in order to maximize each treatment. I've gotten better results in one month, treating myself 1215 times gently and without all the massage, than I ever received in 4 powerful NCR treatments. The only difference is you notice NCR more because it's greater change/greater release in a shorter time frame, but for some people like myself it's slower than selftreatment in the long run considering the 1 session (4 day) per month limit on NCR.
Determining the Best Placement Strategy BNS Method (TL TR ML MR BL BR)
There are a few different options for determining balloon placement. Bilateral Nasal Specific (BNS) involves inflating the balloon in the top left, top right, middle left, middle right, then bottom left and bottom right passages all in one day. I tried this for a few weeks but didn't get such great results from it. Dr. Howell believes asymmetrical treatments are more effective than BNS and I agree.
Asymmetrical Method (TL ML BL or TR MR BR)
Asymmetrical = top left, middle left, bottom left the first day... top right, middle right, bottom right the second day, etc. Some people also study their face closely, and treat asymmetrically on the weakest side. So for example if the left side is more narrow than the right side, they would treat the left side until it's even with the right. This actually does work although the NCR doctors are told it's unreliable (probably having to do with promoting and controlling the techniques involved in NCR).
Dr. Howell invented proprioceptive testing, which supposedly allows the NCR practitioner to determine the "most unstable" part of the physical structure to correct, corresponding to an area of the sphenoid. I still haven't determined whether this is true or not. It seems there are more effective placements and less effective placements, but it's not all or nothing as NCR practitioners claim. This method is not available to me or anyone else, as it takes a while to learn. This is primarily what sets NCR apart from BNS and other balloon based cranial therapies.
Intuitive Placement Method
The method that works the best for the most people is intuitive placement. If one side of the face is particularly asymmetrical or narrow, you may want to treat on that side (because you'll get greater expansion on the side of the face that you're treating). You can use these kinds of assessments to decide the best place for the balloon, and oftentimes this means going in the same nasal passage over and over. There's nothing wrong with that, but you may want to experiment and try other passages just to get a better sense over time for the best placement. In either case if you're treating the left side or right side, or upper passage or lower passage, bones throughout the face and head will change position (especially in the beginning).
Muscle Testing Method
Another technique uses "muscle testing" to ask the body (subconscious) answers to questions it knows, but the conscious mind does not. Muscle testing helps you determine what you believe to be the case. So for example if you believe that your top left passage is the area that would benefit most, you can use muscle testing to recognize what you already believe to be the case. Intuitively people seem to know what area most needs treatment, especially after they've done this for a couple months. For the time being, don't get too caught up and stressed with ''proper'' placement. Focus more on getting expansion during the inflation process, from ear to ear, and seeing results.
Here are the questions I use to determine where the ideal treatment location is on any given day. It changes day per day, although I've noticed that my body seems to require one side more than the other.
Does my left side require treatment?
Or you can get more specific: Would it benefit me to treat my
nasal passages today?
Does my right side require treatment?
Does my top left nasal passage require treatment?
Or: Would it benefit me to treat my [top left] nasal passage today? Does my middle left nasal passage require treatment?
Does my bottom left nasal passage require treatment?
Does my top right nasal passage require treatment?
Does my top middle nasal passage require treatment?
Does my bottom right nasal passage require treatment?
Again, this is what I do and it works great for me. Stick with your intuition or an asymmetrical protocol if this doesn't make sense to you.
How Endonasal Inflations Work
We all want to know the answer to this question: how does inflating a balloon into the sphenoid bone improve facial
symmetry/structure and benefit the body in so many ways?
Here's the best way to understand it: the connective tissues (dura mater) hold the skull in place, and as skull is impacted in minor ways over time, these impacts "scrunch" the connective tissue pulling the skullplates with it. Over the course of various traumas the connective tissue becomes more and more scrunched and tense. Obviously there needs to be some kind of intervention to loosen the tissue and let it retake its original shape, but how? By nudging the sphenoid, apparently. When the sphenoid moves (less than .5mm), 20 other bones are "pushed" or "pulled" about ever so slightly. As the balloon is inflated, the sphenoid resists, tension builds in the skull, then comes the release. If you were to imagine it in numbers, let's say your connective tissue tension level starts at 75. With each inflation of the balloon against the sphenoid, tension moves up to 76, 77, 78 as the sphenoid resists, then suddenly gives slightly and releases back down to 73. This is why when people don't use enough force and don't get a proper amount of release, but instead just built more tension in the connective tissue, they get bad results or negative results. The wonderful thing about all of this is that tension in the connective tissue correlates directly with bone symmetry, cerebrospinal fluid flow and other important processes. As the connective tissues drop tension, the face becomes more beautiful and natural the way it would be without nutritional, emotional, genetic and physical trauma.
I can't say my explanation would be posted in any scientific journals or score highly for anatomical accuracy, but it gets the point across pretty well.
When and How Often
I treat between 2pm and 8pm assuming a normal day/night schedule, and no later than 8pm (earlier than 2pm is okay). Treating too early in the morning can be risky as you get tired, whereas too late in the day might make you too energized to sleep. Also, doctors advise 20 minutes of walking per day at minimum (POST treatment) to facilitate and stimulate the unwinding process. I agree.
As for the question of "how often?" Dr. Howell writes, “Experience has taught me that isolated treatments are less effective than clusters of treatments. In a manner similar to getting momentum as you roll down a hill, the skull gains movement speed as treatments accumulate day after day. This means that results that cannot be created with isolated treatments and become more predictable with more dense treatment sequences. It is, however, more intense than getting treatments one at a time. Generally, after four days of treatment, a person is ready to rest from the rigors of NCR®. With enthusiastic, NCR® experienced persons, I will permit more than four days of treatment in a row. My most extreme treatment situation, so far, has been twentyfour treatments in one month"
He goes on to say that the patient who underwent 24 treatments in one month had excellent results, but a lot more cranial sensitivity ("movement" aka unwinding sensations in the skull/body). At my peak, I did the inflations 20 times per month (20 days). Usually I stick with 1015 times (days) per month. It only takes a minute or two each day, so it's no big deal in that regard.
Achieving Maximum results
My first NCR doctor told me a story where a guy got dragged into the clinic by his girlfriend. She brought him in because NCR had done so much for her. He was begrudging and angry, “I don't want to do it... it's dangerous and stupid.” The guy
was open minded enough to go through with it, but skeptical and angry about everything, even the massage. As soon as the balloon was inflated he screamed “What are you trying to do?! KILL me?!” He stormed out of the clinic and for weeks complained about having headaches and a messed up structure, believing he was permanently damaged by the therapy. My NCR practitioner decided she'd never treat another patient unless they genuinely wanted to be there.
Cranial adjustments are not the sorts of therapies you push on anyone. People need to be in the right mindset when it comes to healing at such a fundamental, structural level. The body will not change if it isn't ready to change. These therapies are essentially about undoing, allowing the body to reset to it's ideal, normal position. The body will hold its current unhealthy structure and 'wind back up' after treatment if it isn't given what it needs to unwind. Getting on a good diet, avoiding sugar and wheat, sticking to a regular exercise routine, stretching and yoga are extremely helpful strategies recommended by all practitioners. Some people add "ROLFing" or forms of massage to their self treatment practice. I prefer to keep it simple.
Probably the single most important tip I have found is to do something physically stimulating and relaxing (or exhausting) prior to treatments (not immediately after). My favorite thing to do is go to the gym or for a run then come back home and do some stretching, take a shower, then do the inflations.
"Side" Effects/Normal Effects
The most common side effect of all is improved facial symmetry and bone structure. Everything doesn't change at once. Usually one part of the face changes, then another, the another, while everything else is improving only very slightly and usually beyond your visual radar (e.g. back of the head becoming more rounded). A lot of people get confused when one cheekbone widens and stays wider than the other for several weeks. They start to think the treatment is making their face more asymmetrical, but in reality it's a bit difficult to decide how to change the face and bone structure. The body does it automatically. Just let your body do it's thing. If you're concerned feel free to contact me and I can share my experience and other people's experience with you.
The skull is more sensitive and the sutures are more unlocked after treatments for a period of time, so make sure to protect your skull. This is one of the reasons not to treat continuously, and take rests (let things firm up again). Actually, the only negative “side effect” of this therapy I've experienced is cranial sensitivity. Sometimes I wake up in the morning and the side of my head I've been sleeping on feels a bit... compressed, for a few minutes.
Other people get mild flulike or coldlike symptoms which can persist for up to a week, but these only occur during the first few weeks. Dr. Howell mentions this on his website, and I've talked to at least 5 people now who have experienced it. All of them eventually had great results after they moved through the symptoms. Dr. Howell believes it's a sort of "detoxing" for lack of a better term.
Effects of moving the cranial bones are almost always temporary and only happen during the first several treatments (except cranial sensitivity), especially if the skull has been damaged and distorted for many years. When using a lot of force initially, people can have automatic physiologically strong reactions including trembling and shaking, lasting a couple minutes. According to Dr. Howell, these reactions are due to the nervous system, cerebrospinal fluid and brain finally being released from areas of pressure due to a misaligned, malformed skull. This is really rare during selftreatment since much less force is used. All of the side effects are more rare actually, because self treatment (the way I do it) is more gradual and gentle.
A common side effect is getting tired, or very energized from the therapy the first several treatments. Some people won't sleep as much, and others will need to sleep more than usual.
Less commonly, people may experience pain in areas of the skull where they previously had trauma (i.e. car accident), or even reexperience the trauma as their is body begins to release and move through it, or get a mild headache. This should be very temporary.
Improved facial symmetry
Improved cranial structure
Improved posture
Improved breathing and airway
Less headaches and tightness
To summarize:
Use enough force when squeezing the bulb to feel expansion throughout one side of your face and into the other side. Once you feel expansion throughout your whole face, stop inflating. If you've already inflated 5 times or more than 20 seconds and have felt no expansion, stop and move to a different nasal passage.
Device Construction Here is the equipment I use:
Sphygmomanometer bulb with release valve RiteAid finger cots (assorted sizes)
Dental floss (waxed)
Qtip with ballend removed
99% aloe vera gel (or water based lubricant. These days I use plain water as lubricant)
I got the bulb on Amazon and everything else at a Rite Aid, excluding the aloe vera gel which I found at Super Supplements.
Any danger of inhaling the balloon can be minimized by affixing the balloon (finger cot) very tightly with about 20 or 30 rotations of dental floss. Tugging on the cot to make sure it won't come off is important too. During treatment, I always hold my breath as it further minimizes any chance of inhaling the finger cot balloon (will get to this later).
Practitioners replace the balloons after every treatment, but I find it more convenient to replace them every 34 treatments. Doing this more than 100 times, I have only popped a balloon twice and it popped in both cases after using the same balloon for 6 or 7 treatments. It's not terribly painful or dangerous when it pops, it's just not a pleasant experience.
Locating the Sphenoid Bone
I was actually confused about how to treat myself for the first few months. Sadly, it took me a long time to realize that I was inflating the balloon between the nasal turbinates rather than the open space behind them.
The best way to get the balloon through the nasal passage is to use the blunt end of a toothpick and a lubricated balloon (finger cot). To reach the top passage, insert the balloon while pushing it up against the top wall of the nose. To reach the bottom passage, insert the balloon while pushing it against the bottom wall of the nose. To get the balloon resting behind a nasal passage and into the throat, squeeze the bulb slowly, gently, and fully while pushing and making slight twists. This will ensure the balloon is straightened and in place. Once it's behind a nasal passage and in the throat you will feel it reach "open air." If the finger cot balloon is too large, it can possibly come down into the throat and gag you when inflated. If it's too small you won't be able to get it all the way through the nasal passage.
Inflating the Balloon
I've experimented with a lot of different inflation techniques. The NCR specialists use an "explosive" method, stacking 13 finger cots ontop of each other and inflating with a LOT of force (multiple pounds of pressure) for about 36 seconds in the nasal passage, then the balloon essentially explodes into the upper throat area/sphenoid. This isn't the safest or most pleasant method. Bone fracture is only truly possible through this method because the turbinates are under intense pressure
for a brief period of time. Unfortunately people are usually locked up at first and do require more pressure to successfully nudge the sphenoid (to move it less than 1mm).
This is what I do: stand up infront of a mirror, making full pumps (squeezing out all the air) in succession, 34 times, pump in rapid succession. Never pump more than 5 times in one nasal passage, especially if you get no movement/expansion/release. During inflation, always hold the breath to ensure the balloon wont be inhaled. If there's a sudden pressure differential (release of pressure in the throat) and a feeling of movement/expansion through one side of the face then the next, immediately deflate the balloon and withdraw it from the nasal passage. Usually I'll feel the expansion through one side of my face after 13 inflations, then on the 3rd4th inflation I'll feel it in the other side of my face>through to the ear. When the expansion has gone through both sides of the face, stop. Some people think they're supposed to hear a cracking sound or feel something phenomenal but this probably won't happen all at once unless a lot of force is used (not recommended). I've gotten great results being somewhat gentle and patient.
The NCR specialists use a ton of force and treat only four times a month in order to maximize each treatment. I've gotten better results in one month, treating myself 1215 times gently and without all the massage, than I ever received in 4 powerful NCR treatments. The only difference is you notice NCR more because it's greater change/greater release in a shorter time frame, but for some people like myself it's slower than selftreatment in the long run considering the 1 session (4 day) per month limit on NCR.
Determining the Best Placement Strategy BNS Method (TL TR ML MR BL BR)
There are a few different options for determining balloon placement. Bilateral Nasal Specific (BNS) involves inflating the balloon in the top left, top right, middle left, middle right, then bottom left and bottom right passages all in one day. I tried this for a few weeks but didn't get such great results from it. Dr. Howell believes asymmetrical treatments are more effective than BNS and I agree.
Asymmetrical Method (TL ML BL or TR MR BR)
Asymmetrical = top left, middle left, bottom left the first day... top right, middle right, bottom right the second day, etc. Some people also study their face closely, and treat asymmetrically on the weakest side. So for example if the left side is more narrow than the right side, they would treat the left side until it's even with the right. This actually does work although the NCR doctors are told it's unreliable (probably having to do with promoting and controlling the techniques involved in NCR).
Dr. Howell invented proprioceptive testing, which supposedly allows the NCR practitioner to determine the "most unstable" part of the physical structure to correct, corresponding to an area of the sphenoid. I still haven't determined whether this is true or not. It seems there are more effective placements and less effective placements, but it's not all or nothing as NCR practitioners claim. This method is not available to me or anyone else, as it takes a while to learn. This is primarily what sets NCR apart from BNS and other balloon based cranial therapies.
Intuitive Placement Method
The method that works the best for the most people is intuitive placement. If one side of the face is particularly asymmetrical or narrow, you may want to treat on that side (because you'll get greater expansion on the side of the face that you're treating). You can use these kinds of assessments to decide the best place for the balloon, and oftentimes this means going in the same nasal passage over and over. There's nothing wrong with that, but you may want to experiment and try other passages just to get a better sense over time for the best placement. In either case if you're treating the left side or right side, or upper passage or lower passage, bones throughout the face and head will change position (especially in the beginning).
Muscle Testing Method
Another technique uses "muscle testing" to ask the body (subconscious) answers to questions it knows, but the conscious mind does not. Muscle testing helps you determine what you believe to be the case. So for example if you believe that your top left passage is the area that would benefit most, you can use muscle testing to recognize what you already believe to be the case. Intuitively people seem to know what area most needs treatment, especially after they've done this for a couple months. For the time being, don't get too caught up and stressed with ''proper'' placement. Focus more on getting expansion during the inflation process, from ear to ear, and seeing results.
Here are the questions I use to determine where the ideal treatment location is on any given day. It changes day per day, although I've noticed that my body seems to require one side more than the other.
Does my left side require treatment?
Or you can get more specific: Would it benefit me to treat my
nasal passages today?
Does my right side require treatment?
Does my top left nasal passage require treatment?
Or: Would it benefit me to treat my [top left] nasal passage today? Does my middle left nasal passage require treatment?
Does my bottom left nasal passage require treatment?
Does my top right nasal passage require treatment?
Does my top middle nasal passage require treatment?
Does my bottom right nasal passage require treatment?
Again, this is what I do and it works great for me. Stick with your intuition or an asymmetrical protocol if this doesn't make sense to you.
How Endonasal Inflations Work
We all want to know the answer to this question: how does inflating a balloon into the sphenoid bone improve facial
symmetry/structure and benefit the body in so many ways?
Here's the best way to understand it: the connective tissues (dura mater) hold the skull in place, and as skull is impacted in minor ways over time, these impacts "scrunch" the connective tissue pulling the skullplates with it. Over the course of various traumas the connective tissue becomes more and more scrunched and tense. Obviously there needs to be some kind of intervention to loosen the tissue and let it retake its original shape, but how? By nudging the sphenoid, apparently. When the sphenoid moves (less than .5mm), 20 other bones are "pushed" or "pulled" about ever so slightly. As the balloon is inflated, the sphenoid resists, tension builds in the skull, then comes the release. If you were to imagine it in numbers, let's say your connective tissue tension level starts at 75. With each inflation of the balloon against the sphenoid, tension moves up to 76, 77, 78 as the sphenoid resists, then suddenly gives slightly and releases back down to 73. This is why when people don't use enough force and don't get a proper amount of release, but instead just built more tension in the connective tissue, they get bad results or negative results. The wonderful thing about all of this is that tension in the connective tissue correlates directly with bone symmetry, cerebrospinal fluid flow and other important processes. As the connective tissues drop tension, the face becomes more beautiful and natural the way it would be without nutritional, emotional, genetic and physical trauma.
I can't say my explanation would be posted in any scientific journals or score highly for anatomical accuracy, but it gets the point across pretty well.
When and How Often
I treat between 2pm and 8pm assuming a normal day/night schedule, and no later than 8pm (earlier than 2pm is okay). Treating too early in the morning can be risky as you get tired, whereas too late in the day might make you too energized to sleep. Also, doctors advise 20 minutes of walking per day at minimum (POST treatment) to facilitate and stimulate the unwinding process. I agree.
As for the question of "how often?" Dr. Howell writes, “Experience has taught me that isolated treatments are less effective than clusters of treatments. In a manner similar to getting momentum as you roll down a hill, the skull gains movement speed as treatments accumulate day after day. This means that results that cannot be created with isolated treatments and become more predictable with more dense treatment sequences. It is, however, more intense than getting treatments one at a time. Generally, after four days of treatment, a person is ready to rest from the rigors of NCR®. With enthusiastic, NCR® experienced persons, I will permit more than four days of treatment in a row. My most extreme treatment situation, so far, has been twentyfour treatments in one month"
He goes on to say that the patient who underwent 24 treatments in one month had excellent results, but a lot more cranial sensitivity ("movement" aka unwinding sensations in the skull/body). At my peak, I did the inflations 20 times per month (20 days). Usually I stick with 1015 times (days) per month. It only takes a minute or two each day, so it's no big deal in that regard.
Achieving Maximum results
My first NCR doctor told me a story where a guy got dragged into the clinic by his girlfriend. She brought him in because NCR had done so much for her. He was begrudging and angry, “I don't want to do it... it's dangerous and stupid.” The guy
was open minded enough to go through with it, but skeptical and angry about everything, even the massage. As soon as the balloon was inflated he screamed “What are you trying to do?! KILL me?!” He stormed out of the clinic and for weeks complained about having headaches and a messed up structure, believing he was permanently damaged by the therapy. My NCR practitioner decided she'd never treat another patient unless they genuinely wanted to be there.
Cranial adjustments are not the sorts of therapies you push on anyone. People need to be in the right mindset when it comes to healing at such a fundamental, structural level. The body will not change if it isn't ready to change. These therapies are essentially about undoing, allowing the body to reset to it's ideal, normal position. The body will hold its current unhealthy structure and 'wind back up' after treatment if it isn't given what it needs to unwind. Getting on a good diet, avoiding sugar and wheat, sticking to a regular exercise routine, stretching and yoga are extremely helpful strategies recommended by all practitioners. Some people add "ROLFing" or forms of massage to their self treatment practice. I prefer to keep it simple.
Probably the single most important tip I have found is to do something physically stimulating and relaxing (or exhausting) prior to treatments (not immediately after). My favorite thing to do is go to the gym or for a run then come back home and do some stretching, take a shower, then do the inflations.
"Side" Effects/Normal Effects
The most common side effect of all is improved facial symmetry and bone structure. Everything doesn't change at once. Usually one part of the face changes, then another, the another, while everything else is improving only very slightly and usually beyond your visual radar (e.g. back of the head becoming more rounded). A lot of people get confused when one cheekbone widens and stays wider than the other for several weeks. They start to think the treatment is making their face more asymmetrical, but in reality it's a bit difficult to decide how to change the face and bone structure. The body does it automatically. Just let your body do it's thing. If you're concerned feel free to contact me and I can share my experience and other people's experience with you.
The skull is more sensitive and the sutures are more unlocked after treatments for a period of time, so make sure to protect your skull. This is one of the reasons not to treat continuously, and take rests (let things firm up again). Actually, the only negative “side effect” of this therapy I've experienced is cranial sensitivity. Sometimes I wake up in the morning and the side of my head I've been sleeping on feels a bit... compressed, for a few minutes.
Other people get mild flulike or coldlike symptoms which can persist for up to a week, but these only occur during the first few weeks. Dr. Howell mentions this on his website, and I've talked to at least 5 people now who have experienced it. All of them eventually had great results after they moved through the symptoms. Dr. Howell believes it's a sort of "detoxing" for lack of a better term.
Effects of moving the cranial bones are almost always temporary and only happen during the first several treatments (except cranial sensitivity), especially if the skull has been damaged and distorted for many years. When using a lot of force initially, people can have automatic physiologically strong reactions including trembling and shaking, lasting a couple minutes. According to Dr. Howell, these reactions are due to the nervous system, cerebrospinal fluid and brain finally being released from areas of pressure due to a misaligned, malformed skull. This is really rare during selftreatment since much less force is used. All of the side effects are more rare actually, because self treatment (the way I do it) is more gradual and gentle.
A common side effect is getting tired, or very energized from the therapy the first several treatments. Some people won't sleep as much, and others will need to sleep more than usual.
Less commonly, people may experience pain in areas of the skull where they previously had trauma (i.e. car accident), or even reexperience the trauma as their is body begins to release and move through it, or get a mild headache. This should be very temporary.
